EXTINCTION WARRIOR

Chapter 10

We've landed on a tumble of limestone near the ruins of a lighthouse, thesea just beyond a sapphire blue. The air sparkles, the sky is crystal clear. But thanks to Pablo, it's like a bomb went off. I'm stunned at the tangled mess. Giant cactus and trees piled up, dead everywhere.Uprooted and on top of each other, like the start of a game of Inukat and the bones are in a heap. The forest is shredded, the trails impassable, and there's a subtle, earthy scent coming through the air conditioner.

Tuk and I are in the galley gazing out the window. Mig's asleep on my bed.

"Open the galley exit Tootega." I order, eager to get out of the ship, and breathe fresh air, I peer out the porthole in the door across from the galley.

"Gallery egress is impassable." She says.

"The proximity of vegetation is causing an obstruction. My sensors indicate...a massive cluster of Melocactus intortus..." she reports, and adds,"...known as Turks Head cactus."

"Mellow cactus?Hardly!" I snicker. "Not with those thorns. They look wicked."

"The amphibian hops!" Tuk exclaims. "With its olive green and gold skin it is well camouflaged among the organic debris, and virtually impossible to differentiate. Nevertheless, my perception system perceived it hopping."

"Do I need binoculars?"

"Straight ahead, twelve o'clock." He points. "Binoculars are not necessary.The amphibian is approximately six feet away..."

Concentrating,I hold my breath and focus on the rocks, and the mess in front of me.Nothing.

"...Consumed by mongoose and feral cats," Tuk continues, "many of them died in the hurricane. The few that endured are extraordinary survivors and critically endangered." His unblinking eyes are like laser beams.

Exhaling,I relax and scan slowly, then spy something.

"Think I see her..." I mumble.

"How do you know the toad is a female?" He asks.

"I don't really know,but I can sense her feminine energy," and add, "Tootega, activate robotic arm one," while I open the galley drawer, pull out the folded glove and put it on.

Leaning across the table,my arm fully stretched, I extend the robotic arm as far as it can go.

"Almost there." Tuk says.

"I'm as close as I can get!"

"Not close enough." He says, shaking his head.

I turn my palm to open the robotic fingers, spread my fingers, and rest the hand on the ground outside in the shade.

"Don't be afraid,"I whisper. My mind-message is clear. "Jump," I say, and transmit an image— of her sitting in the middle of the palm.

She jumps—to the right, awayfrom the hand! I move it towards her. Still not close enough.

"Come on," I nod, unconsciously.

She doesn't jump, and moves with an awkward little walk-hop to the left. Further away! My arm starts to cramp.

"Jump in the hand...there's nothing to fear...please," I repeat with the same clarity, and send the same picture.

A bug scuttles up from a rock, and crawls between the fingers into the open palm.

"The amphibian is hunting!" Tuk exclaims.

"What sort of bug is that, anyway?" I ask.

Tuk furrows his brow, and squints intensely. "An earwig. Order dermaptera. Known for their characteristic forceps-like pincers that protrude from the abdomen. They are mostly nocturnal. It is unusual to see them during the day." He says looking confused.